


Authors to watch 2012 - Jess Mariano

by chicklitbitch



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Journalism, Literati (Gilmore Girls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 15:52:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicklitbitch/pseuds/chicklitbitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rory gets to write a small piece about acclaimed author on the rise Jess Mariano, who also happens to be her acquaintance and former boyfriend. Written in the style of a newspaper/magazine article.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Authors to watch 2012 - Jess Mariano

**Authors to watch 2012 - Jess Mariano (The moon's luck)**

 

**by Rory Gilmore**

  
I've been a fan of jess Mariano's work way before he could even begin imagining himself having a devoted following of readers. A longtime youth acquaintance, over the years i've had the pleasure and the honor to witness his razor-sharp wit and rare sensibility turn him into one of the finest new authors of his generation.

  
Today i meet him in Tribeca,inside the small, but considerably crowded venue set up on at the local Barnes and Nobles. He just finished a long signing session of his latest literary effort, The Moon's Luck. The book tells the story of a struggling waiter and aspiring writer with a complicated past living New York and looking for his big break, all while juggling his personal and working life. Despite being his first published work for a major print, Mariano has a long experience as a writer. His earlier work, a short self-published novel titled The subsect, is currently being reprinted and ready to hit the shelves next month.In addition to all this,he had numerous short stories published on nation-wide prints like The New Yorker and the Atlantic over the past few years.

  
As the crowd starts dissipating, i am led by a man in a dark pressed suit (who turns out to be Mariano's agent) to a secluded are in the back, where the man of the hour is waiting for me.

  
Without any need for introductions, he leaps up from his leather armchair and envelops me in a warm hug. It might not seem like a big deal to most, but as anyone who knows the man well will tell you, Jess Mariano hugs are as rare as they are heartfelt. I note how far he's come since the  time last we saw each other, at his small independent publishing house in Philadelphia, and he says, shrugging humbly "Not too shabby, i guess."

  
Mariano is not an easy man to crack. Notoriously shy and reserved, he's a man of few words. "I'd rather save my best for the paper,what can i say?" he tells me, smiling coyly.

  
As you figured out by now, this is not a person who knows or likes to play games. He's unabashedly himself, a quality that shines through his work, so far from the usual glitzy best-selling novels turned movie of the week. Mariano's voice is fresh and candid in a way that makes you feel at ease, as if you were listening to a close friend's confessions or reading your own journals.

  
"I don't like to think too much about my writing. I want it to sound as genuine as it can. I'm not aiming for James Joyce, you know? i just want people to see themselves in what do i do, hopefully - even thought that's not the main goal ... pleasing people."

  
He certainly seems like he is, though. The Moon's Luck, only after 3 weeks of its publication skyrocketed to number two on The New York Times best seller, accompanied by raving reviews from many of the top newspaper and magazines in the country. It stayed there for four months and as of now, six months after the publication, it's still in the top ten. These are impressive results for a first time published novelist, but Mariano doesn't seemed fazed by any of it, or by the idea that it could all fade away eventually. "I really hope i can keep making a living of this, but i know it's a rocky business. If it doesn't work, i'll go back to publishing and do my writing on the side. The book industry has so many facet. I'm confident there's always something for a book lover out there to do."

  
He is the perfect blend of optimist and realist. "It's just a natural evolution of my life long pessimism. One day it evolved into acceptance." he claims.

  
After reading his books i can confirm that. Having known him for many years, optimist isn't exactly how i would have labeled him ten years ago. In his current work, nevertheless, there's a refined maturity and peace of mind, which unmistakably comes following an emotional turmoil - he's evidently been through what astrology aficionados would call Saturn return and i call coming of age.

  
Mariano had a rather hectic life: born and raised in New York from a troubled broken home, he lived a few of his teen years in Stars Hollow, Connecticut under his uncle Luke's wing before moving to Venice Beach with his father and then establishing himself in Philadelphia as a publisher. Currently he resides in Brooklyn, where he bought a spacious studio apartment to store all his books in .It's the first time in his life living on his own and he's enjoying the independence (and the responsibility) that comes with it.

  
"There's no place like New York in the world. There's a freedom to it that is like a tacit understanding between its inhabitants, i feel." he tells me. "You can be whoever you want. All you need to live here is an open mind and thick skin. And if you don't have that, [New York] is gonna give you one after long enough. "

  
His deep connection to the City is evident in his work.  Most of his stories and his two novels are set there. When i ask him if he ever wonders about writing about another city or if he fears running out of ideas this way he shakes his head. "Never. This City has too any stories to tell. It will never stops being exciting to me. In fact i'm already thinking about my next novel and i have so many ideas just from things i've observed walking around."

  
I try to press him for detail but he remains tight lipped. "My agent would kill me. Also i'm not even sure what the exact focus of the story's gonna be. It's still all in a gestational phase.All i know is it's gonna be more personal. I think i wasn't before, but i'm ready for now."

  
I ask jokingly if i am in it and he brings out his signature lopsided smile. I beg him for even the tiniest hint, putting aside the journalistic facade for a second and asking as a curious friend trying to pick another friends' brain. "Okay" he concedes, leaning forward in his chair. "We can go out for a coffee and  i'll tell you off the record."

  
I agree, turning off my audio recorder. I'm sad about not managing to snag any tidbit for my readers, but titillated as a friend and a fan to share a secret that is so precious to its keeper.

 

R.G.


End file.
